We left our place in Vik, where we’re staying for 2 nights, and set off. Our first stop was a place where we could see the moss growing on a fairly recent lava flow. Obviously this is a very fragile first step at vegetation beginning to reclaim the land, so they’re not keen to let tourists trample all over it.

The next stop was – you guessed it – another waterfall. We had a walk up a hill, thankfully not with steps, and we could see it from up high at the back as well.

This is a ridiculously beautiful place.

On the way back to the car park.

Our next stop was a thing called’The Churches Floor’, because the people who discovered it couldn’t believe that it was a natural phenomenon.
Anyone who’s seen The Giant’s Causeway in Ireland will know that it’s basalt blocks.

Not bad for taking a photo on.

Look at the clouds kissing the mountaintop.

Ice! I thought it was snow, but it’s actually a glacier.

We drove through a very desolate patch where there was nothing but lava and mud. It was as flat as a pancake. When the nearby volcano erupts, the glacier melts and there’s kind of like an inland tsunami and this is what happens. There’s just nothing left. 

There’s no wildlife here in Iceland, apart from Arctic foxes. No crows, even, which seems so unusual when you think about it. Crows are everywhere you go in the rest of the world.

It was odd to me to see a glacier end in green. The others I’ve seen were either in snowfields, or ended in the sea.

This was all taken from the side of the road.

Then came the biggest surprise so far of the trip. I didn’t research anything before jumping on the plane. I’d never heard of Diamonds Beach.

So beautiful… until James in his footie shorts wandered across! 😂😂

This place is around the corner from the icebergs’ graveyard, which we caught a glimpse of from the road.

The tide washes the icebergs around the corner and onto this beach, where they wash up onto the sand and gradually melt.

Lots of happy people.

James was the only one of us, apart from Morgan, obviously, who knew what we were going to see. He brought a bottle of gin and some tonic and we toasted to friendship.

Just one more shot. I loved this place.

Then we went over the bridge and walked back to see the icebergs’ graveyard. It was like a little memory of Antarctica.

We have been so lucky with the weather. I had a jumper with me, but it was too warm to wear it. You can see I’m travelling with my trusty merino tops again.

I was so happy to see blue ice again!

This guy had the biggest selfie stick I’ve ever seen.

Kayakers.

Obviously we had to see a glacier up close. Morgan took us to two.

This first one was an easy 5 minute walk to get to. The next one?

Around 40 minutes of walking, mainly over rocks like this. Fortunately for me, it was all pretty flat, so it was an adventure.

Here is the end of this glacier. I didn’t realise it was ice until Corinna told me. (Morgan had told her.)

Morgan first visited the glacier in 2015 and it was quite a bit bigger than it is today.
We drove back to Vik after this, stopping at what turned out to be a fantastic restaurant beside a petrol station in the middle of nowhere. Everyone enjoyed dinner.
My pizza and 2 tiny wines cost $90 AUD. ouch. I’m looking forward to getting onto the Hondius, where all food is included.

One more day with Corinna and James, and then Morgan and I will be heading up to the top of Iceland to join the Greenland cruise.

Dad joke of the day: